(a) Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a gaming system and method, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a wagering game that includes a baseball theme and which has been adapted for institutionalized gambling.
(b) Discussion of Known Art
The American affinity for the sport of Baseball has made the principles and objects of the game to become well known throughout many parts of the world. These principles include that a player must hit a ball thrown at the player by a pitcher, that the player must hit the ball with sufficient force and control to drive the ball to a position on the playing field where players on the opposing team cannot catch the ball, allowing the player to run to the next available base. The familiarity of the game offers provides a vehicle for teaching, learning, practice and enjoyment of other endeavors if these endeavors can be formatted to mimic the game of baseball. Accordingly entrepreneurs and the like have tried to develop games which can present participants with rules and structure that mimics the principles and objects of baseball to allow players learn the game quickly, due to the association of the game with the principles of baseball, and to enjoy playing the game, to the its similarities with the experience of playing baseball. Particularly, many have tried to provide games that carry a colorable similarity to baseball, but really do not present similarities in the experience and goals of the game. For example, the game taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,161 to Boylan et al. teaches a wagering game which allows players to place bets in two locations, in one embodiment, one wagering location has the appearance of a base and the other wagering location has the appearance of the home base found on a baseball diamond. In this game, however, the similarities to baseball end with the appearance of the indicia used for guiding players as to where to place their bets.
Yet other examples of a game which use a baseball theme include U.S. Pat. No. 2,347,506 to Riehle which teaches a game consisting of a board game with concentric baseball diamonds. U.S. Pat. No. 1,259,987 to Huff et al., which teaches a baseball board game in which uses cards to designate the different plays carried out in the field. Similarly, U.S. Pat. Nos. 840,584 (Piper), 1,170,821 (Keller), 1,177,677 (Beam), 2,283,578 (Rogers et al.), and 2,812,181 (Richman) are board type games with baseball themes.
A review of the above patents will reveal that there remains a need for a wagering game which allows players to compete with an "opposer", such as a pitcher, to try to obtain a "hit" which will allow the player to advance bases. Importantly, there remains a need for a device or system that allows the many players to participate and wager, while allowing a governing player, such as a dealer who represents the casino, to monitor and participate in the gambling process.